Pops Staples accepts induction for the Staple Singers

"When you get to be as old as I am, you can't talk so loud. I'm happy and thankful for being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I'm Pops Staples - hey, go ahead, yeah! I wanna tell you something. There's not many men living today as well blest as Pops. I'm telling you. I've been a Christian since I was a little boy, and I've been living it all my life, and I'm gonna keep on living it, you can't stop me from that, I can't wait to say I'm gonna keep on living it. Yeah. I've been blest. For I say that, for 44 years, I've been singing with my family, and we traveled all over the United States in an automobile for about 15 years before we started flying. Never was hurt; we were always lucky to not be hurt, and I think that's a blessing. And I could say a whole lot more, but I just want you to know that I'm a child of God. And it's a real good thing if you try to be a child of God too. Follow Him, you won't go wrong. I'm gonna say this, and then we get on. I was a boy, I used to hear Robert Johnson, Blind Lemon, Blind Blake and all them playing them good blues, ow! You see, I loved to hear those blues. But my daddy didn't want me to play no guitar. They all, back in those days, said it was the Devil's music, and didn't want me to play. And I coulda slipped and played, but I said to myself there, when I was about 12 years old, that one of these days I'm gonna play a guitar, right there. So let me tell you what happened. Let me tell you what to do first. Let me say - I'm gonna say this. I wanna say to all of y'all out there, young and old, young and old, always hold on to your dream. Hold on to your dreams. Thank you. I said back then, I said "One of these days I'm gonna play that guitar, and I'm gonna be famous," and that was when I was 12 years old. And when I started trying to play, it didn't look like I was going to do anything, but I want to say to you, never say it's too young or too old. I went from 12 to 72 years old before I got to make a record, and I went from 72 to 84 before I made that hit record, and got [unintelligible]. Yeah. And whatever you do, don't give up. Hold on to your dream, don't give up, 'cause you see what I done after all those years. Thank you, thank you."